The One Who Called Me Angel
by lildark7
Summary: She was sent on a mission and wasn't allowed to go back until it was fulfilled. Naked, unable to speak the inhabitants language she is taken way from the beach by a black haired woman who seems to be willing to help her.


**THE ONE WHO CALLED ME ANGEL**  
><em>1124/2010_

_Chapter 1:  
>1124/2010 - 5/8/2011  
><span>Waking Up On Sand<span>_

The black haired tall woman looked down at the naked light skinned blonde figure lying to her feet in the white California beach sand. The place looked abandoned, no one ever came here. It was just a small beach and not one of those overly crowded, filled with tourist ones. It was quiet. The tall woman's eyes ran over the naked woman's frail body. Small drops of water glittering on her almost white skin. The straight hair tousled and soaked from the saltwater. The woman on the ground didn't stir, she looked like she was sleeping though the black haired woman was sure that she was unconscious for some reason. She listened to the rushing of the waves against the shore and kept staring at the frail figure to her feet.

_I wonder what happened to her,_ she asked herself. _...she looks like… a child, so innocent._

The black haired would find out the truth about the blonde in the end.

The woman lying on the white sand moved for an instant. The black haired kneeled down in front of her. She watched her silently.

_You look like you've fallen from the sky into the ocean…_

The frail woman on the ground spoke one word in a language the other couldn't understand as a violent shiver shook the blonde woman's body. She kept repeating the word over and over again, but she didn't move or open her eyes.

"Drwng, drwng, drwng." It was almost inaudible.

The black haired woman watched the other worried. She kept chanting the word over and over again.

"Drwng, drowng, drownig!"

_Drowning!_

The blonde's eyes shot open and she grabbed the black haired woman's outstretched arm.

"It's ok, you're safe now," the black haired's voice was gentle and calm as she spoke. A smile grew on her face as the blonde's eyes met hers. They were light blue like the eyes of a new born child, crystal clear. And as light as her eyes were was the woman's blonde hair. It was almost white. "You're safe," the black haired whispered once again and was about to touch the blonde's hand.

The blonde woman backed away, face morphing into a terrified mask, her baby eyes telling her to stay away.

"No, please, not touch me." The blonde woman's voice was quiet and high, but calm. She didn't shriek, didn't panic. It stood in contrast to the scared expression on her face. The woman was speaking with an accent and seemed to barely know any English. "Not touch me," she whispered again.

The tall woman pulled back her outstretched hand. "I won't touch you, I promise. I don't wanna hurt you." She looked into the naked woman's face. It was thin and had high cheekbones. Her eyes were almond shaped. "I want to help you." She smiled and the blonde woman slowly eased.

She asked, "Where I am?"

"You're at California beach."

The blonde woman tried to repeat it. She acted like she'd never heard the name before. "Cliforna beakch?"

The black haired woman looked baffled. _She doesn't know California beach. She can't even pronounce the name._

"What's your name?" The black haired woman asked.

The blonde didn't seem to understand it at first. She sat there for a second until she answered, her voice pronouncing the name in a melodic way, "Jerilyn."

The black haired woman smiled and answered. "My name's Celeste."

"Celeste?" Jerilyn's eyes went wide. They filled with tears. A smile flickered across her face for a second. "I love beautiful name." Jerilyn shivered again.

Celeste raised an eyebrow, but kept smiling at the woman sitting in the sand. _She's strange. She doesn't seem to have heard my name before either…_

"Where are you from?" Celeste asked Jerilyn, hoping she would get an answer.

Jerilyn just stared back into Celeste's face. "Wheree reyu from?" She didn't understand.

Celeste tried something different, "Where do you live?"

"Wheere dou youh liv'?" Jerilyn looked like she was searching for something in Celeste's eyes as she stared deeper into them, slowly tentatively moving towards her an inch. "Where dou youh liv'?" It seemed like the question had provoked Jerilyn to remember something of great importance to her. She kept searching Celeste's eyes for something. Celeste didn't know for what. Jerilyn moved closer.

"Where dou youh liv?" She pointed at the sky and moved her finger from the heavens to the ocean.

Celeste smiled once more and said, "No no, not what happened. Where do you live?"

Jerilyn kept staring into Celeste's eyes with her innocent ones. She pointed at the sky again.

Celeste shook her head. _She doesn't understand. I should take her away from here first._

"Where do you live?" Jerilyn repeated Celeste's question.

Celeste's eyes went wide. Jerilyn's voice was still calm and high but had lost the diffidence in it.

"I understand…" Jerilyn whispered, frightened again. She stopped moving towards Celeste and stared at her long fingered hand. She reached out for Celeste's face. "You a freand? Not touch, not huuhrt me?"

Celeste put forth her hand slowly and stopped an inch before touching Jerilyn's. She said softly, "I'm a friend and I won't touch you neither will I hurt you."

"Finee," Jerilyn said. "I'm freand too. Live faawr away."

"Well then, pleased to meet you Jerilyn from far away." Celeste smiled.

Jerilyn touched Celeste's hand and Celeste was hit by a small electric shock. She winced, but simply out of surprise, not pain.

Jerilyn pulled back her hand immediately. "I'm soorry, I'm soorry, I'm soorry!" She sat there staring at her hand again looking scared.

Celeste didn't really understand what Jerilyn was saying because she had spoken in a language unknown to her, but her guess that it meant 'I'm sorry' was right. She said, "It's ok. Don't be sorry it's not your fault." She smiled at her and reached for her hand again. As she took it, Jerilyn turned her head away closing her eyes as to brace herself. As she didn't get another shock she peeked at Celeste. The sky and the clouds were reflected in Jerilyn's glass clear eyes.

"See? It's fine." Celeste wrapped her other hand around the blonde's.

"Finee," Jerilyn's words were nothing more than a whisper. "You a freand."

"Yes. I'm a friend."

Celeste took the white blonde haired woman home with her in the end. She didn't even know what pushed her to take a total stranger home with her, but she didn't see a threat in Jerilyn and she was sure she could trust her.

Jerilyn didn't know much of English, but still she was able to understand Celeste anyway somehow. And Celeste would find out later, that Jerilyn was a fast learner.

Whatever language Jerilyn spoke natively, Celeste hadn't found out yet. It didn't seem to be a language she knew. Maybe it was a minor language spoken in some small village by natives in Africa or Asia, even though Jerilyn didn't look like African or Asian with her white blonde hair and extremely light skin and blue eyes.

She usually acted like she hadn't met any other human before, which was strange. The even stranger thing was, even though she acted like she never met any other human before, her reaction to all modern technology and cars, was calm, normal, she acted like anyone else, like she had seen all of this a million times before. Celeste couldn't figure her out at all.

At the car, Celeste had handed Jerilyn some pair of old jeans and a sweater. She tried not to stare at Jerilyn's naked body. She blushed and said, "Take that on, I can't take you with me in my car like that, people will stare and ask questions."

Jerilyn looked down at herself, then looked at the clothes Celeste handed her and then her gaze scanned Celeste from head to toe. She pointed at the jeans, "Taake ohn?"

"Yes, take that on, like me." Celeste pointed at her own jeans.

Jerilyn smiled like a kid. "Taake ohn." She nodded and took the jeans out of Celeste's hand carefully. For a second she stared at them and then, slowly she lifted her right leg and tried to pull one end of the trousers over her feet. Immediately loosing her balance Jerilyn was about to fall onto her back. Celeste's arms shot forward and grabbed her.

"Careful!" She released Jerilyn again in an instant. Jerilyn's eyes had widened for a second as Celeste's hands touched her bare skin, but she smiled at her as to say 'Thank you'.

"You're welcome," Celeste chuckled. "Shall I help you get those on? You don't seem quite able to do it yourself right now."

Jerilyn blinked at her. She didn't understand.

Celeste gently took the jeans out of Jerilyn's weak grasp, sighing.

"Not take ohn?" Jerilyn asked.

Celeste laughed happily. "No. You take them on. I just want to help you." She took the one of the trousers legs and held it in front of Celeste's foot. "Slip your foot through there."

"Help, take ohn?" Jerilyn seemed to get it now. She smiled a 'thank you' smile again and slipped her foot into the jeans, then the other.

While the black haired woman helped Jerilyn to get into the jeans she said, "It's 'Thank you.' Every time you smile at me like that…" Celeste smiled herself and touched her fingers with her lips. "…the words you're searching for are 'thank you'."

Jerilyn listened to Celeste attentively. She didn't take her eyes off her face for a second, absorbing every word she said.

"Thaenk you." Jerilyn kept smiling.

"Yes, thank you." Celeste smiled back at her and lowered her eyes to the blue jeans again. She continued and pulled Jerilyn's jeans further over her legs. She looked up again, "So now let's-"

Celeste stopped in the middle of the motion as she suddenly felt Jerilyn's lips on hers. She stared into her face. She had kissed her!

Jerilyn leaned back again, put her finger to her lips and smiled. "Thaenk you."

Celeste felt her face burning. "Um, yeah… thank you… That's… um… nice of you…" She knew Jerilyn had mistaken Celeste's gesture of putting her finger on her lips and still she felt embarrassed. She tried to explain to Jerilyn what she had meant, even though she knew she probably wouldn't understand her. "You don't kiss people when you say thank you." She pointed at her lips and went on, "No kissing when saying thank you."

Jerilyn studied Celeste's face carefully. She seemed to get it. "Thaank you."

"Yes, that's right." Celeste was surprised how fast Jerilyn got better at pronouncing things.

Jerilyn looked like she wanted to say something else, something important but didn't know the words for it. She took Celeste's hand in hers and said for the 4th time that day. "Thank you." Her voice was clear and confident. It was like she wanted to say that she was glad that the dark haired was helping her. Celeste guessed that she was searching for the words 'thank you _so much_'. She kept silent and smiled back at the blonde.

Jerilyn released Celeste's hand again and pulled at her half put on jeans. "Help, take ohn?" Jerilyn was laughing. And her melodic laugh would ring in Celeste's ears for the rest of the day and night.

When the two finally had put the jeans and sweater on Jerilyn, Celeste knew that there was something strange and at the same time wonderful about the woman that she had found unconscious in the sand this morning.

During the whole car ride to her home, neither of them said a word. Jerilyn kept looking out of the window and glancing at Celeste, with a peaceful innocent expression on her pretty face.

Not noticing the glances Celeste was lost in her thoughts. _There's something strange about you Jerilyn, you act so weird, you don't know how to put on clothes, but you show no reaction to cars and mobile phones or things like that… Who are you and more importantly where are you from, you didn't tell me when I asked you… You said 'far away'… How far away? I really wonder if she's been held captive or if she's from a native tribe or anything like that…_

The black haired driving the car didn't notice that the blonde had fallen asleep on their way home and when she stopped the car and turned off the engine in front of her house she smiled at the woman's sleeping face. _I don't know what happened to you and why you were lying there on the shore, and I actually don't care. It's none of my business and even if she could talk about it, I'm sure she wouldn't anyway…_

"Wake up Jerilyn. We're there, wake up." She touched Jerilyn's shoulder and shook her charily. "Wake up, Jerilyn."

Squinting the white blonde woman mumbled something the other couldn't understand. It almost sounded like a song. Her eyes glittered in the sunlight shining through the windshield. She was hugging herself as if she'd had a bad dream. She closed her eyes again. "Thank you," she breathed.

"It's ok." Celeste touched the blonde woman's arm again and said, "Let's get into the house."

Jerilyn watched Celeste get out of the car and opening the passenger's door for her. She offered her a hand to get out. Jerilyn took it and let Celeste help her out of the car.

They walked up to a 2 floor house with light blue wooden façade. Trees were towering the house in the backyard.

"Welcome to my home," Celeste said brightly as she opened the front door for Jerilyn, who was looking at the bright wooden interior and sunlight illuminated room in awe. Celeste felt like Jerilyn wanted to say something and she was right. After a few seconds Jerilyn spoke, searching for words,

"Me home, too, loohks that."

Celeste was surprised, "Your home looks like that too?"

Jerilyn nooded, "Yeehs."

Celeste didn't think she had understood Jerilyn properly. How could her home look like this? And if it really did then she sure wasn't from some native tribe living in the rainforest or whatever. Jerilyn was a mystery to her. _Maybe something really terrible happened to her and she lost her memory,_ Celeste thought.

"You have beautiful home," Jerilyn said happily.

"Thanks," Celeste replied. Then added, so the blonde would understand, "It means 'thank you' as well… too."

Jerilyn just smiled and put forth her hand.

"The word you're searching for is 'You're welcome'," the black haired explained and made the same gesture with her hand as the blonde had.

"You wrelcome."

Celeste put off her heels and showed Jerilyn the house. Sometimes Jerilyn looked like she knew all the things Celeste showed her, and sometimes she looked like she wanted to ask things, but couldn't because she didn't know the words. She stopped in front of a bookshelf and Celeste was asking herself if Jerilyn could read.

"You reawd too?" Jerilyn asked.

"I do, yes." Celeste replied and thought, _Well that just answered my question. She does read. Even though I don't know if the language she speaks uses Latin letters._

Apparently she did. Jerilyn pulled out a book of the book shelf and read the title out loud. "Knocking on Heaven's Door."

"It's a nice book, with a great story, even though it's about a baseball team."

Jerilyn flipped through the pages almost eating the printed words with her eyes. She smiled.

"You can read it if you like," Celeste offered.

Jerilyn nodded happily.

_You're like a child… and then again there's something about you that makes you look like you're a million years old. It's so strange…_

For the next 2 months Celeste taught Jerilyn how to speak basic English and told her the most important vocabulary. Her accent had become less heavy.

Even though Jerilyn spoke pretty well for that she hadn't spoken like almost no English before, she had learned so fast. And she did better every day, as more months passed.

One day, Celeste was standing on the patio watching two white doves chasing each other in the garden while Jerilyn was reading a book in the living room, curled up in a rocking chair. She was reading the book out loud to herself.

"You ask for a sign, I shouted. Here it is: whosoever raises the sword from this stone…"

Celeste had walked into the living room quietly and finished the sentence, "…shall be the trueborn King of all Britain."

Jerilyn looked up from the book she was reading. "I like this book. The story is great."

Celeste eyed the cover of the book. "Merlin" it read.

"I read that one a lot. I was reading it on the plane to Britain, actually."

Jerilyn closed the book and put it on her lap. "You visited a lot of places, did you?"

"Yeah, I've been travelling inside and outside the States quite a lot," the black haired answered.

Jerilyn smiled. "That is really nice," she said.

Celeste smiled back at her and glanced over to the bookshelf the blonde was sitting next to. Jerilyn was always sitting in the rocking chair next to it. Since she'd brought her home with her, Jerilyn's place was near the window in the rocking chair next to the bookshelf.

She hadn't asked Jerilyn about her origin again, after she had found her at the beach, and she wouldn't ask again so soon either. To be honest, Celeste didn't really care where she came from, what language she spoke and what nationality she was. She guessed if Jerilyn wanted to talk about it she would, sooner or later. She didn't seem to be hiding anything from her, the only thing she seemed to be was, sometimes, a little strange.

Celeste remembered Jerilyn talking to the doves she had watched chasing another in the garden a few days ago.

"Why don't you sing me a song like you used to, little bird?" she had said. "Why don't you lend me your wings so I can fly once more, like I used to?" And then she had taken the cooing white bird into her arms and it fell asleep.

Watching Jerilyn had given Celeste a feeling of peace and safeness. She knew this woman wouldn't ever hurt her, like so many other people had before.

"Celeste?"

She had looked outside the picture window to the bird bath she'd seen Jerilyn talk to the dove and winced as her voice was suddenly so close. Celeste's eyes shifted to the rocking chair where Jerilyn had sat in, but she never got sight of it. She found herself staring into Jerilyn's bright blue eyes. Jerilyn stood right in front of her, curiously looking at Celeste's face. Her long white blonde hair swayed over her shoulders shining in the sunlight like silver colored silk.

Celeste had never noticed before, but every time she looked into Jerilyn's blue eyes the sky and the clouds were reflected in them, no matter if she was outside watching them or inside with a roof over her head sheltered from them.

"Yes?" Celeste asked confused. Something in Jerilyn's voice sounded like she was worried, about her.

"Thank you," Jerilyn said and brushed Celeste's short black hair behind her ears, unrevealing three small cross earrings increasing in size to the bottom of her ear lobe.

For a second Jerilyn's fingertips touched upon her cheek and she blushed feeling her soft fingers. She didn't even know why.

"What are you thanking me for?" Celeste's voice slightly trembled. She suggested it was from being surprised by Jerilyn being so close all of a sudden.

Smiling as she answered Jerilyn said, "For bringing me here and teaching me your language." She paused for a second. Her smile grew wider. "And for letting me be with you." She turned around, sat down in the rocking chair and re-opened the book she had been reading before Celeste had approached. With one last grateful smile at her she lowered her eyes to the page again.

Celeste still stood there her cheeks burning, a long time after Jerilyn's fingers had touched them.

When Celeste went to sleep that evening she dreamt something strange about a woman who woke up on a cloud just to fall thousands of miles into the ocean.

Water closed in on her, then about her. It had been solid as concrete as she hit it and her body was aching now from the pressure not being able to breath. The woman struggled to get back to the surface, suppressing the water with legs and arms. She knew she was too weak and the current too strong. She wouldn't make it back up to the air she needed to survive. She had fallen from a too great height. She would meet the bottom of the ocean, dragged down to it by the current.

As the pressure on her lungs became unbearable she opened her mouth to breathe and death entered. The water stung in her chest and she coughed, letting more water in. She kept struggling to get back to the surface. Her sight clouded.

The pain in her chest increased and she began to scream in horror. The water in her lungs making a terrible gurgling sound.

She kept screaming and struggling against the water with her last strength. She saw a light coming closer.

The woman's head broke through the surface and she spit water, coughing and choking, but finally breathing again.

She looked around. There was water as far as the eye could see, but not in all directions. In a distance she could make out a coast.

Still spitting water the woman began to swim towards the land. She didn't know how long it would take to get there, but she didn't care. All she knew was that she wanted to get there and out of the terribly cold water.

And so she swam.

The shore hadn't been as far as the woman expected. It came closer with every stroke she made.

Soon the woman felt sand under her feet and collapsed on the white coast, taking one last look at a tall figure that appeared far away on a hill.

Everything turned black, then white.

The woman who had fallen into the ocean stood naked in a space of white, a high strong voice calling her name. "Νυσσα, נִסָה, one of pure blood. We sent you on a quest. Now you're expelled, never allowed to come back until you fulfilled your task."

A pair of silver eyes and a white hand appeared in the white space before her. The voice speaking echoed, "Raise to consciousness to find yourself at the place your quest awaits…"

Νυσσα found herself standing in a room with a million doors each of them with different pattern in black and white only. Around her neck was a delicate silver chain with a large old fashioned key. She knew it'd fit in every door she'd try.

She walked towards a white door with a black sun on it and turned the key in to hole. As she opened the door a light breeze gently brushed over her face. She stepped outside…

And fell.

Νυσσα fell from the sky towards the ocean. The water was closing in on her. She would hit its concrete surface every moment.

For a split second you could see the woman's face, reflected in the water, her expression filled with fear.

Celeste woke with a start and screamed.

"Just a dream, just a bad dream," she tried to soothe herself, but it didn't work. It had felt too real, like she had really been drowning and falling from the sky into that ocean. "Just a dream, just a dream," she said again and again.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ Celeste hissed at herself and got up. She checked her alarm clock. It was 4:30 AM. She'd have to get up soon anyway and she knew she'd not fall back to sleep after that dream anyway. _All right, all right. It was just a dream, now calm down already and try to think of something else._ _Let's just go to the kitchen and eat a bite, maybe you'll feel better afterwards._

Celeste bare feet touched the old light parquet and she silently opened the door, walking downstairs to the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee and toast. She sat down at the small table in the corner of the kitchen and took the first sip coffee. She looked about the kitchen.

The trees in the backyard were swaying in a light breeze, casting shadows through the kitchen window. The whole room was dark, only a few parts of the kitchen illuminated by the light of a lamp in the garden. Celeste hadn't bothered to turn on the light when she went in. She was able to get her coffee and toast even when it was pitch dark. Light hurt her eyes in the morning, where she usually had one of her migraine attacks. Not this morning though.

It was one of the rare mornings she didn't have a headache, not even a slight one.

Celeste sighed and thought, _Every morning the same, I wake up from nightmares. I wish I could just get out of here for a while and have some fun… No one ever called in ages, they're all busy working long hours._ Celeste clenched her hands into fists. _Is it my problem that I don't have to work? Is it my _fault _that I inherited my parent's estate when they died, because my sister didn't want it? I don't think so, no!_

Celeste wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees. She laughed, "I'm being obnoxious again. Everyone else would be happy if they had what I have. And still, being alone most of the time sucks." She shook her head slightly and with another sight she put her feet back to the ground, reached for the rest of her toast and coffee and kept eating quietly, when the door of the kitchen closed with a thunk.

Her head jerked around.

"Jerilyn, is that you? You can come in if you want," she called.

The door opened a crack and light fell into the kitchen. Jerilyn peeked inside. She said, embarrassed, "I didn't want to disturb you. I heard something downstairs and wanted to check if everything's ok."

Celeste smiled and waved her inside. "Come in, it's ok, really. I was just eating breakfast anyway."

Jerilyn, bashfully stepped inside, wearing a short white nightgown, the one Celeste had given her, because it was the only one that she had found in a rush digging through all her clothes. Which reminded her that they'd probably have to shop for something Jerilyn could wear every day. The clothes Celeste had given her when she found her on the beach, fit her and during the months she had been here she had burrowed all of Celeste's clothes several times, but she knew Jerilyn would have to have her own sooner or later.

She pointed at the chair opposite to her at the table and asked, "Don't you want to sit down?"

"Ok." Jerilyn sat down and looked at Celeste.

"Say Jerilyn, would you like to go shopping with me today? I'm sure you'd love to have your own clothes, right?" She chuckled. "And moreover, I don't know what you like to wear anyway, so you can just pick some shirts and jeans you like."

Jerilyn looked startled, almost scared for some reason. "But I love your clothes," she said. "Can't I keep wearing yours?"

Celeste's face dropped and then she realized what it must be that scared Jerilyn. She questioned, "Is it because of money? Trust me you don't need to worry I have more than enough to buy you everything you need. It's ok."

Jerilyn's eyes went wide and she stared at her arm that lay flat on the table. Her eyes traced along it, as if there was a pattern on it that only she could see. Then her eyes went to Celeste's arm and back to hers.

Celeste noticed that her skin was much darker than Jerilyn's even though Celeste's own skin was white as the one of Snow White. Now she knew what this was about. It wasn't about money, it was about Jerilyn being scared of crowds, because she stood out.

Celeste took her hand and said, "Do you think I'd let anything happen to you, while we're in the city?"

"I don't know."

"Of course I wouldn't. And by the way, what do you think could happen?" She smiled and gently squeezed her hand. "You'll be ok, trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Celeste?"

"Yeah?"

Jerilyn stood up and walked around the table. She stopped in front of the black haired and leaned forward, her face so close to Celeste's that their lips almost touched.

"Thank you," she breathed. "For everything."

And then Celeste got kissed the second time in a few months, finding herself looking into the eyes of someone she suddenly thought she knew better than herself.

As Jerilyn leaned back again smiling, Celeste was unable to move or speak. Something inside her was filled with a feeling she couldn't tell what it was exactly. Gratefulness to be appreciated for what she did? Or was it something else? Was it because she actually liked Jerilyn? She didn't know.

Celeste kept staring at Jerilyn and stuttered deeply moved, but in an awkward way, "I- Why did you do that?" She shamefully turned her eyes away.

"I don't know." Jerilyn's voice was quiet and calm, she didn't feel embarrassed about what she did like Celeste. "You're an angel. And…" She sighed and kept smiling. "…I didn't know how to thank you else."

The black haired woman smiled as well and answered, "Thank you, Jerilyn. Really."

Celeste cleared her throat and spoke, happily, "I think you should get ready so we can leave for shopping soon. The sooner we get there the less crowded the streets will be."

Jerilyn left the kitchen and as soon as the door had closed again Celeste whispered in her thoughts, "She called me angel…" No one ever did.

Approximately one and a half hour later Celeste and Jerilyn were driving towards Long Beach in Celeste's big land rover.

They spent half of the day shopping clothes, looking into store windows and walking quietly beside each other.

Jerilyn wasn't talking at all. She was walking with her head lowered staring at her feet. Celeste could feel how uncomfortable she felt with all those people around her. People she didn't know. People who didn't speak her language.

Celeste sighed, "Did you see anything you like?"

Jerilyn and Celeste had been walking past as it seemed a million display windows.

Jerilyn shook her head and whispered, "I don't know anything about fashion. I don't know what I could wear."

Celeste smiled, "Just pick something you think looks nice. You'll look good in it."  
>"I don't know…" Jerilyn's eyes ran over all the different clothes in one of the windows, then over Celeste. Jerilyn's voice was quiet when she went on, "Couldn't you pick something out for me?" She added in thought, <em>So we can get away from here as fast as possible…<em>

"You want me to pick something for you? Really?"

"Yes."

Celeste's face was brighter as the sun as she smiled and said, "Ok, then let's go."

Celeste led Jerilyn to a store with a variety of bright blouses with floral pattern on it and knee length skirts and blue jeans.

They stepped from the crowded streets into the store. It was almost empty. There were just two people in there, plus the staff.

Jerilyn had the store expected to be as crowded as the streets.

Celeste explained, as if she'd heard Jerilyn's thoughts, "No one ever shops here, the people all go to the more popular stores… and to the less expensive."

Jerilyn stared at Celeste.

"I told you it's ok. Don't worry about it." She smiles and said. "Look around and pick anything you like. I'm sure all the clothes in here will fit you."

With less people around, Jerilyn seemed much more relaxed. She smiled back at Celeste and as they walked around, Jerilyn didn't have her head lowered.

The two other woman at the store curiously looked at Jerilyn. They were much smaller than she was. They were smaller than Celeste too.

Jerilyn noticed the two women glancing at her occasionally. Her eyes went to her hands and her extremely light skin again.

"Don't worry about it, Jerilyn," Celeste said. "They're just curious about who's shopping here. They look at me too all the time."  
>Jerilyn tried to smile, but only managed a tense grimace.<p>

"Relax." Celeste took Jerilyn's hand in hers. "You'll be fine. No one can touch you as long as I'm there." Her voice was soothing, soft. She felt strange, almost like protecting a child.

_She's fully grown,_ Celeste thought. _There's no need for me to feel like that._ And still there was something that told her that Jerilyn wouldn't be able to handle the situation, if she was alone and needed to be made felt comfortable.

Jerilyn's forced grimace turned into a real smile, as soon she felt Celeste's hand around hers.

"Are they together?"

Celeste's head shot in the direction she had heard the voice come from. A guy and a girl around the age of 18 were standing outside the store staring inside to them.

Celeste glared at them.

Jerilyn caught on the change in her expression and followed her gaze. Her hand held hers tighter.

The girl who had asked the question before stared at Jerilyn wide-eyed. She pulled on her boyfriend's sleeve whispering, "Look at her!"

Her boyfriend replied, "What's the matter?"

Still staring at Jerilyn the girl said, "Those two women!"

Celeste looked back and forth between the girl and Jerilyn, who was staring into the girl's eyes now.

"Please, please, look away and go," Jerilyn whispered. "Please, go away."

The boy glanced at Jerilyn for a brief moment before turning to his girlfriend again saying, "I don't know. Why do you care anyway, it's none of your business." He rolled his eyes. "You're gossiping way too much, Mel', seriously now. Let's go."

He dragged her by the arm, the girl looking back at the two of them. Celeste heard her say, "But didn't you see how they looked? They looked like _models!_"

She turned back to Jerilyn who wasn't moving an inch.

"Are you ok?" she asked her, a worried look on her face.

Jerilyn slowly answered, "I don't understand…" She paused and stared into Celeste's eyes. She was searching for something in them again. Her voice was but a whisper, "What did she mean by models?"  
>Celeste smiled at her, "She basically said we look pretty."<p>

"Pretty?"

"Beautiful, Jerilyn." Celeste's voice grew soft. "…like you said my name was."

Jerilyn faced herself in the mirror, a strange look on it. "They can't say I am… They do not know me."

"Jerilyn." Celeste gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

She winced. "They don't…" Her eyes found Celeste's again. "But maybe… you do."

Celeste didn't understand what Jerilyn was talking about. It made no sense to her. She stared at her, not knowing what to say.

Jerilyn continued, "You can say I'm beautiful and I'll believe you." She touched Celeste's hand. "I will not believe anyone else."

They ended up buying simple dresses and a pair of sandals for Jerilyn. Most of the dresses they bought were white or light blue, only two of them a darker shade. Jerilyn had seen them and said it was something she'd worn where she came from and since she didn't seem to feel as comfortable pushed into jeans and t-shirt as Celeste did, she was happy Jerilyn had picked something for herself after all. Celeste didn't want to talk her into wearing something she didn't like to wear. That Jerilyn had loved the clothes Celeste had lent her hadn't been a lie, but it hadn't been the whole truth either. She had loved them for Celeste giving them to her, even though they weren't her style, not for feeling comfortable in them.

The rest of the day they spent at a nice café to get something to drink and afterwards the beach. In the evening they drove back home to Celeste's place.

"So did you like the city?" Celeste asked. She wasn't looking at Jerilyn; she had to pay attention to the traffic on the streets.

"Yes, I liked it," she paused for a second, then continued. "Even though it was crowded…" another pause. "I think I like the beach more. It's quiet and peaceful."

Celeste smiled. "Yeah, I guessed that."

Jerilyn kept looking out of the window. It was already dark outside.

"Celeste?" she asked.

"Yes?"  
>"Do you mind if I sleep the rest of the ride home?"<p>

"Of course not. Go ahead," Celeste answered.

Jerilyn replied with a faint smile on her lips and leaned against the window. "Wake me when we're there…"

"I will."

There was a triangle sound, distant and faint. Then a voice.

"_Nysa…"_

The woman's eyes shot open. She was lying in a white space, naked. The voice went on, "Fulfill your mission. Do not falter."

The woman rose form the floor to her feet.

"I need time!" she shouted. "It is difficult."

"Difficult?" The voice asked.

"Yes." The woman looked at her hand. There were floral pattern running over them, fade and white like scars. "I do not understand it fully. They call it emotion. Something we lack. We are indifferent. We don't feel like them."

The voice was silent for a moment then spoke, "Your mission has changed."

"Changed?" the woman asked.

"Become." The word made the air vibrate.

Pain struck through the woman. The floral scars that covered her whole skin suddenly lit up red.

"Learn, and we will learn from you."

Jerilyn woke, and looked at her hand. Her skin was burning like fire. The floral pattern scars were still red, but it was slowly fading. In a minute they would be white again.

'Scarred,' Jerilyn thought.


End file.
